Friends reunited as Mick and Alex clash

It’s an old pals act as ex-Millwall team-mates Alex Rae and Mick McCarthy come together for tomorrow’s friendly in Dundee, writes Tim Nash.

Alex Rae made a lot of friends when he was at Wolves.

His waspish, marauding midfield play and indomitable spirit made him a hugely popular figure at Molineux.

Even now, four years after his departure for a dream curtain call with boyhood team Rangers, the memory of the balding battler storming into tackles and charging around the pitch brings a smile.

Rae will be squaring up to one of his closest pals in the game, Molineux boss Mick McCarthy, when Wolves play Dundee.

During three years at Molineux, Rae became a cult figure with fans and is expected to get a warm welcome from the travelling fans when he takes his place in the technical area.

And when he stops to shake hands with opposite number McCarthy, he will be greeting one of a small band of people in the game he refers to as a “real friend”.

His relationship with McCarthy stretches way back to his early days and their spell at Millwall, when the Molineux boss was initially his team-mate before becoming his manager.

“I’ve know the big guy since 1990. He was a player at Millwall and then he became my manager and we’ve remained friends since,” added Rae.

“Wherever I’ve gone I have usually got on well with people, but once I move on I have to admit I’m not the best for keeping in touch.

“It’s different with Mick, though, and he’s someone I still call regularly - we both go to Portugal most summers and usually meet up there as well.”

And despite McCarthy’s success in Scotland coming with the opposite side of Glasgow’s Old Firm divide from Alex’s, when he won the title with Rangers, the former Republic of Ireland boss was one of the first to congratulate him - thanks to a crazy coincidence.

“Rangers were playing at Hibs on the final day, but before the game it looked like Celtic would pip us to the title,” he said.

“Knowing what I’m like when I lose, my wife decided to take off for a few days shopping in New York.

“When she realised we’d won the league, she called straight away from a street in New York and in a million to one chance Mick and his wife were there on a break as well and spotted her in the street.

“Even though we’d beaten Celtic to the title I could hear him in the background telling her to pass on how happy he was for me. He won the league in 1988 and knew exactly what it means to a player.” The mutual respect between the pair began when they were both team-mates at The Den in the early 1990s.

But it continued through Rae’s troubled brush with alcoholism and through to the present, with both now managers going for promotion to their respective top flights.

“I played with Alex and managed him at Millwall so I’ve known him a long, long time,” said McCarthy.

“Bruce Rioch signed him and I was a player at the time, and in time at Millwall, he was absolutely brilliant for them.

“He scored the best hat-trick I’ve ever seen, against Notts County.

“I’d think his team will play in the same way he was as a player - I don’t think they’ll play in any other way. Alex is a terrific guy and I think he’s been appreciated wherever he’s been because of the way he plays.”

He has revealed, however, that if he’d followed his gut instinct the relationship he enjoys with the fans would never have been born.

“When Wolves first came in for me I was settled at Sunderland and they were in the Premiership,” said Rae.

“I was at a stage of my career where I felt if I moved again it would have been further north so I could come back to Scotland,” he said. “That and the prospect of dropping down a league meant I was close to knocking them back.

“At Sunderland, though, Peter Reid told me I was not a big part of his plans so I felt it was better to go somewhere I was wanted.

“I did that and it was only when I signed for Wolves that I realised they were such a big club. I’d played against them a good few times and never thought much about it, but when you’re with them every week you really see what a feel the fans have for their team.

“They turn out in big numbers and if they know you’re giving your all they will support you all the way. I had great times down there and they were such a great part of it.

“Getting promoted to the Premiership was a real special season and although we only stayed up for one year, it was a great experience playing the top sides in front of those supporters.”

See Also:

• See every Wolves match photo from 2008-9 promotion season
• Check out our Wolves promotion timeline